The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-11-03

| soon af!er on our way 60 Chatou, BouglVal
| or Meudon, no longer recollect which OF
the three places.
"a quarter of an hour later people pass
ing along the Quay du Cont would halt,
| mystiEed by strange NOISES At three
steps FROM them they heard the rumbling
of voices which seemed to issue from the
bowels Of the earth, aviclent, though some
what dea5ened, noise, combined with the
shriIl screams of despair. Then, all OF
sudden, it was like the rolling of an i'm
mense drum; the hubbub made by twenty
maddencd fists beating against bronze
| door @%< What in the deuce did it meant
"a crowd gathered; they began looking
| about and soon found out the cause. The
services Of a locl1smi!h were required to
| pick the lock, which was pretty strong
| one. The door WAS violently pushed open,
and human stream shot out of the ground'
| JUS like the wGter Ts-ining from an srte-
| sian we'll. With furious gesticula;lons and
eyes popping out OF their heads, the prison
ers hurried away, raising their arms to
| heaven and calling upon an ayenglng pcHce
''The police was ready there, coming
out of the hole, in the shape OF pltlfui-
looking, dsscomfted, lynx-eyed detective,
who suspecting some thing wrong. had paid
his way in like the rest Of the audience.
Thanks TO the victim Of professional duty.
the report was ready beforehand. 1t fell
like bombshell in our studio the next
morning. and came near giving Father
Bertrand an apoplectic stroke.
''Now, Mr.. Cabasson, what do you say
about that?''
81 say that it was pretty rough joke"
''Afy turn now,'' said Mr.. Robinet Of the
Institute. Il was at Father Labranche's In
the cite. HIS studio was on the third floor
There was balcony in front. Four or FIVE
of US, bothering ourselves to death, were
leaning on the balustrade, when all OF
sudden, one exclaimed: AN idean What!
Be quickl Hurry upp
"a few words explain the idea Hurrahl
Az agree! 1t was adopted.
San old lay-igure is lying in the corner.
In the twnkling of an eye it is dressed up.
Shirt, collar, coat, vest and pantaloons are
put on, and the dummy looks, for all the
worlt, like a gentleman. A cap is placed
on it's head. Now wait there a minute, old
man.
Suddenly frightful uproar resounds
throughout the studio. Cries, yells and
shrieks escape through the open windows.
In the street anxious passers-by look up
and ask each other: What is going on up
there? They must be killing each otherr
''They are killing each other-at least it
seems so. On the balcony seven or eight
demons rush together, grab each other by
the throat, scuf1e, while such cries as You
scoundrell you rascali you thiefl you vii
lainous wretchl you shall go overl l will
have your hearts blOodp are heard. In
front of the house, across the street, about
hundred persons have gathered, fasci-
mated by the expectation that something
horrible is about to take place.
'On the balcony the hubbub increases.
1t is real butchery.
'All at once a Cry of anguish escapes
from hundred throats. Above the bal
cony one Of the fighters has appeared,
raised in the air by ten furious arms. One,
two, and all is over. The unfortunate fell
low is cast into spacel He turns over and
over, and, fiocl he falls with thud on the
pavement below. He does not move. He
is deadl
Three women in the crowd faint dead
away. Fists are shaken at our windows.
You murderers you assassinsn they cry
out. All rush to to the dead body and lift
up our dummy, whose nose is f1attened, but
which is not otherwise injured by its fall"
'OId Cabasson, twas l, l who am speak
ing to you now, that cast the dummy over
the galleryP'
''Well, by thunder you should have been
sent to the galleysi' Then. changing his
tone, Cabasson suddenly burst into laugh
and said: swell, boys after all 1 think 1
have done even worse than thatr'
30, pshawr"
eyes, indeedl Only if you would like to
hear the story just wait a few minutes. l
must go back and scold those youngsters.
Here are cigars and there is rum; help
yourselves. Twill be back shortly" = = y
"Weul" exclaimed Mcssrs. Boudiner and
Robinet, when their colleague, Cabasson,
returned, did you display your eloquence?"
Eyes, indeed" replied Cabasson, the
painter, sand 10 some effect l assure you,
esuecially when told them that at the very
next bad break would dismiss the whole
gang"
Suppose you giveus the story now.n
"What story? Oil l had forgotten. Well,
1 shall keep my promise" And, making
himself comfortable between the arms of
an easy chair, Cabasson began as follows:
"'Tis not one, but ten stories, if not
more thai could tell you if l wished to-
Yes, dear friends, it lacked but little for
me and four or five other scamps like my
self to have on our consciences the deaths
of two worthy old women"
''The dickens! Tell US all about itr'
'Well, here goes. At the time was in a
studio on the fourth floor. Just below US,
on the third story, two old maids had fixed
their dwelling. With them we had crow
to pick on account OF a number of COM
plants they had made against US, inform
ing the landlord that we disturbed them al
least thirty times day by ringing their
door bell.
''One afternoon it so happened that the
most profound silence prevailed throughout
the studio, when one of the crowd who was
at work near the fireplace, exclaimed:
'HelloI that's funnyl 1t seems to me that
hear somebody speakingp 'Wherep in
the chimney All drew near, and lent an
attentive ear. 1t was fact; a low murmur
of voices was heard. Where can it come
'FRONT.' From below, of course said one
of the students; T'l bet that it is those two
old maids talkingp Immediately it struck
all of US that the discovery might pave the
way for joke. A jokel Good enough
But what would it bei
81 say" said the leader Of the crowd, sslet
US first study up the surroundings. II the
! sound OF voices reaches our ears, it is sign
| that there is a hole in the wall. Now that
| hole must be just behind the slab in the
bottom of the fireplace Let US take it out
carefully. We will then see how the land
| lies"
1.-TWO of US went to work without delay
The fireplace was high and spacious, an
old manor house hearth. There was plenty
of room to work in. In ten minutes the Job
was finished. The slab was OF, displaying
a gap wide enough for a man to pass
through. The voices now sounded more